


Gifts to the dead

by Rogercat



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Día de los Muertos | Day of the Dead, F/M, Family Bonding, Food, Gen, Ghosts, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Married Couple, Rivendell | Imladris, Third Age, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-18 16:36:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21279845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogercat/pseuds/Rogercat
Summary: Elrond keeps holding on to a ancient tradition from the First Age
Relationships: Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel, Dior Eluchíl/Nimloth of Doriath, Elrond Peredhel & Elros Tar-Minyatur & Maedhros | Maitimo, Elrond Peredhel & Maglor | Makalaurë, Eluréd & Elurín (Tolkien)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 67





	Gifts to the dead

**Author's Note:**

  * For [senalishia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/senalishia/gifts).

Third Age, year 109, Imladris: 

Celebrían had enjoyed her first summer as a married wife, followed by a similar pleasant autumn as Lady of Imalris. Yet this evening, she saw her husband down in the kitchen and personally cooking something on a stove. 

“Are you planning something special, beloved?” she wondered, as Elrond normally left the cooking for the kitchen staff. 

“Ah...how to explain? It is a very old tradition I am trying to keep alive, one which was founded by the Three Houses of the Edain.” 

Elrond told her of the tradition of leaving out food and drink for the dead, as the Edain had believed the dead ancestors to be allowed out in the living world under one night to visit their descendants. 

“Who are you making this for, then? Elros, although I am pretty sure that you said that he liked a different disk?” 

“This chicken stew is for Maedhros. That soon-to-baked bread pudding is for my maternal grandparents Dior and Nimloth, along with a vegetable pie I will do later. And I am also making a soup for Eluréd and Elurín, they are always needing something to heat them up due to the manner they died in.” 

Celebrían could understand that, freezing to death in the middle of winter was a horrible death. 

“Do you think that they would mind some sweets?” 

No, Elrond rather thought that his twin uncles would be delighted to get some sweets as a offering, being children and all that, so she could bake a cake or some sweets if she wanted.

“Oh, something for Celebrimbor as well.”

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Later that evening: 

Elrond kept the food warm in the hall of fire. Most of the servants had gone to bed, while Celebrían kept herself busy by doing some knitting. Celebrimbor had been the first soul to arrive, for he had known the married couple in life and loved to spend time with them again even if it was only possible for one night, although he was not fully healed from the trauma of his death. 

“Elrond….we are freezing....” 

That complaint was coming from his uncles, indeed, as they peeked out from behind a pillar. Elrond knew that their little souls was haunted by the freezing cold from the night they had died, so he actually expected to hear that greeting each year now. 

“Then let me give you some nice, hot carrot soup.” 

Elrond poured up the heated soup in two small bowls, and when his twin uncles took a bowl each, one could see how the soup vanished into thin air. Anyway Elrond felt pleased at seeing some colour return to the cheeks as Eluréd and Elurín did not freeze that much anymore. 

“Boys? Boys, wait on us,” a feminine voice called, and a couple showed up in the hallway. Celebrían could see some family resemblance in Nimloth, mostly in the face, for her long-dead cousin had inherited more from her own mother and thus did not seem fully Sindar in her looks. And Dior...well, calling him fair with some long-healed battle scars in his face would perhaps not be a good idea, but she could see why other survivors of Doriath spoke of him inheriting some of the famed beauty of his mother. 

“Sorry, Elrond, they were really hungry again,” Dior apologized to his grandson, while their wives took the chance to talk. Maedhros had also arrived and enjoying his food offering on a separate table together with Celebrimbor, though he kept his distance out of respect for the gathered family. 

“I have something for you if you still have some room in your bellies,” Celebrían smiled at Eluréd and Elurín, placing two bowls filled with cookies on the tables. 

“Sweets!” 

“Thank you!” 

Despite that the five dead Elves had never meet Celebrían before, mainly thanks to dying long before she even had been born and Elrond being the one to always give them the food offerings on this night, she got along with them very well. 

“Maedhros...I do not know where Maglor are currently, sadly. He have survived the Second Age, and we did have him as a surprise visitor at our wedding this summer, but he still wanders as he have done ever since the end of the war of Wrath.”

The oldest son of Fëanor finished his offered bottle of Dwarven ale that Elrond had managed to get his hands on this year. Celebrimbor muttered something about the taste reminding him of what he used to share with Narvi when she was alive as well. 

“He is doing just as you this night. Sharing whatever food he have, with me and our other brothers. Celebrimbor and I will go to him later.”

It felt reassuring to know that Maglor was still alive, at least. Elrond knew that his foster father wandered the shores of Middle-earth as a form of self-exile and penalty for everything with the Oath and the Kinslayings, so there was little else he could do to change Maglor's mind about it. 

“I am sorry for being late, brother! I had to discipline one of my idiotic descendants again before I could arrive!” Elros announced his arrival, before greeting his present relatives in a slightly more formal manner. 

Of course Elros had a legal reason for being late, he had complained in earlier years about how displeased he was with some of the Kings and Queens of Númenor had messed up his legacy, such as beginning military occupation of other lands and trying to oppose the Ban of the Valar. 

“I would love to help you knocking some common sense into their heads, but alas, it is that problem of a different afterlife,” Dior commented, he was the only one among the Half-elves able to move in a kind of limbo between the Halls of Mandos where the Elves were, and the Path of Men. After his death, Dior had chosen to be counted as one of the Eldar in order to stay with his family, but he still managed to meet his mortal grandson from time to time. 

“Thanks for the offer, grandpa, but let us instead celebrate that Elrond finally have gotten married this year!”

Of course the dead relatives in the family had to enjoy the belated news as they had not been present at the wedding, and it was a really pleasant night for all of them. 


End file.
